Chapter 58: A Two-Pronged Approach

That night, the moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and all sounds were still.

Zhu Fu was leading a patrol through the stronghold.

Presently, the Yushan Stronghold operated entirely in the style of a military camp; night watchmen, sentries, and patrols were all fully established.

In the past, such trivial matters would certainly not have required Zhu Fu to lead in person. However, a large number of brothers had recently left the stronghold, leading to a severe shortage of manpower, leaving Zhu Fu with no choice but to step up himself.

Initially, Huang Silang and the others had volunteered to take Zhu Fu's place, but Li Gui had assigned them other tasks, forcing them to drop the idea.

The weather was now bitterly cold, and after nightfall, the chill pierced straight to the bone. If it was not quite cold enough to freeze one's breath, a thick, heavy white mist nonetheless hung in the air.

Zhu Fu tightened the cotton-padded armor on his body and turned to ask the squad of brothers behind him, "Are you all cold?"

"It is a bit chilly."

The group let out chuckles and spoke all at once:

"Still, it will soon be time to change shifts. Once we get back to the quarters and drink a bowl of hot ginger soup, our bodies will warm right up."

"The fellows on duty in the second half of the night have it much worse! Who knows how much harder they've got it than us!"

"Who told them to be so unlucky as to draw the late-night shift? Hehe..."

Seeing that the men harbored no resentment, Zhu Fu smiled and nodded. "Very well, then let's all bear with it a little longer. We shall continue our patrol."

After walking another half-circle, they spotted another patrol coming from the opposite direction. The two parties stopped at a distance, exchanged the password, and after confirming that all was well, they resumed walking and brushed past each other.

After making a few rounds through the stronghold, they heard the watchman in the distance striking the third watch. Finally, it was time to change shifts.

Zhu Fu yawned, led the squad back to the quarters, and woke up the group that had been sleeping soundly. After handing over duties to them, Zhu Fu was just about to lead them back out for another patrol when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching as someone stepped inside.

"Brother Zhu, how is the situation? Have any government troops come to raid the camp?"

Zhu Fu looked closely and saw that it was the former Third Chieftain, Huang Silang, followed by three or four brothers—all loyal and righteous men who had returned to the mountain a few days ago.

He hurriedly stepped forward with a smile and replied, "Everything is normal. Nothing has happened."

With that, he looked at Huang Silang and the others, asking with a puzzled expression, "Why hasn't Silang rested yet?"

Huang Silang smiled wryly and shook his head. "Ah, didn't big brother assign us the task of preparing logs, rolling stones, lime, human waste, and other city-defense items? We toiled away half the night just to get a decent amount ready, which should be enough for a few days."

Zhu Fu suddenly understood. "You've worked hard, Silang and brothers. Why don't you hurry back to get some proper rest? There may be a major battle tomorrow."

"I was just worried about a government troop raid on the camp, so I came to take a look."

Zhu Fu smiled. "I led the soldiers on patrol for quite a while and saw no sign of government troops. They surely won't come tonight."

"That's what I think, too." Huang Silang and the others chuckled along. "Since the government troops just arrived, they'll surely have to rest for the night. How could they possibly raid the camp in the middle of the night right after arriving? It's just that Brother Li Gui is overly meticulous, needlessly giving us brothers something to worry about."

After exchanging a few casual words, Zhu Fu cupped his fists. "Silang, go back and rest quickly. I still have to lead the patrol out."

Just as he was about to leave, he was grabbed by Huang Silang, who looked left and right before asking with a frown:

"Patrols are divided into first and second halves of the night, so why is big brother patrolling the entire night without anyone to replace him?"

"Where is Brother Li Yun?"

Zhu Fu smiled and said, "Brother Li Yun has formidable martial arts and will be the main force in tomorrow's combat. He cannot waste his energy on patrolling; naturally, he must get a sound sleep and rest."

Upon hearing this, Huang Silang frowned and said with displeasure:

"If big brother patrols all night without even sleeping, how will he fight tomorrow?"

"Just let your younger brother go in your place!"

Zhu Fu hurriedly shook his head in refusal. "What is Silang saying? If you go on patrol in my place, won't you also be going without sleep all night?"

Huang Silang said solemnly:

"I am different from big brother."

"My martial prowess is meager, so even if I go into battle, I won't be of much use. I might as well share some of the burden for big brother and do what is within my power."

After the two of them argued back and forth for a long time, Zhu Fu could not out-stubborn him, so he had no choice but to nod and agree. He called over the soldiers for the second half of the night and instructed them:

"Brother Huang will lead you to continue the patrol for the rest of the night."

"Do you all still remember what the Great Chieftain instructed earlier?"

"Now that we are in wartime, do not be careless or lax."

"If the stronghold falls, every last one of us is dead."

The soldiers exchanged glances and bowed in obedience. "Brother, rest assured. We always keep the Great Chieftain's words engraved in our hearts and dare not make the slightest mistake."

Zhu Fu nodded with satisfaction, waved his hand, and went back to his room to sleep.

Huang Silang led the men out of the quarters and had walked about half a circle around the stronghold when he suddenly clutched his stomach, frowned deeply, and cursed in a low voice:

"Damn it!"

"The food I ate tonight must not have been fresh. My stomach is churning like an overturned river—truly troublesome!"

The brothers following closely behind immediately began to tease him: "When Brother Huang usually gambled, he would often use this excuse of needing to relieve himself. Since you didn't lose any money today, why are you pulling this trick again?"

Huang Silang bent over slightly, clutching his stomach with one hand and pressing his rear with the other, crying out, "Stop talking nonsense! It's about to come out now, I'm not playing around!"

As he cried out, he darted into a nearby patch of withered grass. Moments later, waves of foul odor drifted over with the wind.

Those mischievous companions instantly changed their expressions, pinched their noses, and ran forward. Only when they were far away did they lower their hands and shout from a distance:

"Brother, go ahead and complete your cycle of the five elements there. We'll go on ahead with the patrol, and you can catch up on your own when you're done!"

"Get lost!" Huang Silang cursed from afar, earning only a loud burst of laughter from the group.

These men had originally been senior and deputy commanders in the stronghold, but after the amnesty, they had become officials and left the stronghold. Now that they had returned and were once again leading the men, no one raised any objections. Without further ado, they followed these fellows and continued the patrol.

As for Huang Silang, once he finished relieving himself, he did not catch up with the patrol as expected. Instead, he let out a sigh, turned around, and hurried toward the direction of the granary.

Meanwhile, the guards at the main gate of the stronghold were also welcoming unexpected visitors.

"Brothers, the night is deep and the dew is heavy. Brother Li Gui feels sorry for everyone and has sent me to bring some wine and food to help warm you all up."

Old Li was all smiles, followed by a dozen brothers carrying poles and food boxes on their shoulders. The moment the boxes were opened, a rich aroma wafted out, revealing piping hot food, wine, and meat. In this cold night, it was extraordinarily tempting to anyone's appetite.

The sentry guarding the main gate, whose leader was a senior commander, felt his throat twitch upon seeing the wine and meat. However, his gaze shifted upward, landing on Old Li's face as he asked hesitatingly:

"Is this a reward given to us by the Great Chieftain?"

Old Li smiled. "Everyone says that Brother Li Gui is strict, but I know that our Great Chieftain is tough on the outside and soft on the inside, and cares most deeply for his own brothers."

"Now that the weather has turned cold, Brother Li Gui asked me to bring some wine and meat to reward you brothers. Could there be any better time?"

Seeing that the commander looked hesitant and seemed unable to believe it, Old Li continued to persuade him: "If you brothers accidentally catch a cold, it will not be good for our military campaign!"

The commander was finally moved, slowly nodded, and said, "Brother Li, please wait a moment while I call my men together to enjoy the wine and food."